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Voice Clinic Services

Voice Clinic Services

This is an Outpatient Clinic in the Speech and Language Therapy Department for patients with voice disorders referred mainly from the ENT Department in Derriford Hospital. The clinic runs from Monday to Friday between the hours of 09.00-17.00.

Voice disorders can have a neurological, organic, functional or psychological origin and affect the voice and vocal tract. They range from complete absence of voice (aphonia) to varying degrees of vocal impairment .Typical voice disorders seen are Muscle Tension Dysphonia, Vocal fold nodules, Presbyphonia, Chronic Laryngitis and Vocal fold bowing. Patients with Globus Pharyngeus (feeling of a lump in the throat/discomfort) are also seen in this clinic.

The Speech and Language Therapists who specialise in the treatment of voice disorders are Denise Clifford and Sarah Thomas. Our task is to restore, reorganise, optimise and strengthen voices to enable patients to use their voice efficiently in any vocal endeavour. We recognise that having a voice disorder can have a psychological impact on a person affecting self-image, self-esteem and emotional wellbeing and if they are a professional voice user may also have an economic effect on their life.

Denise Clifford also sees people with Gender Dysphoria to enable them to achieve appropriate voice and non-verbal communication in their chosen gender.